The New Jersey Senate Transportation Committee advanced legislation today that would establish a three-year pilot program allowing the testing of fully autonomous vehicles on roads across the state.

The bill, sponsored by state Senators Andrew Zwicker and Gordon Johnson, would require the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, to oversee the testing program and develop regulations governing autonomous vehicle operations.

“New Jersey has the opportunity to lead the northeast in developing safe and efficient autonomous vehicle technology that will revolutionize how we travel,” Zwicker, a Democrat representing parts of Middlesex, Mercer, Somerset and Hunterdon counties, said in a statement. He added that the pilot program could help improve transit infrastructure, public safety and transportation access.

Under the proposal, a nine-member task force would oversee the pilot program. The panel would include representatives from public safety, transportation, autonomous vehicle development, the insurance industry, motor vehicle dealers and consumer advocacy groups, along with officials from NJDOT and the Motor Vehicle Commission.

The task force would be required to issue monthly reports to state officials, gather public feedback and help develop protocols addressing autonomous vehicle crashes, cybersecurity threats, operational disruptions and liability concerns.

The legislation also directs state agencies to coordinate with the New Jersey State Police and the Office of the Attorney General to establish safety guidelines for drivers and pedestrians.

If enacted, the bill would require all autonomous vehicle collisions to be reported to NJDOT within five days.

The measure also calls for the creation of dedicated autonomous vehicle testing environments, including both closed-course and open-road test sites. State transportation officials would be tasked with identifying funding sources and working with local governments to deploy infrastructure designed to support autonomous vehicles, such as sensor-equipped roads, communication networks and real-time traffic management systems.

Within six months after the pilot program concludes, NJDOT would be required to submit a report to the governor and Legislature evaluating the program and recommending whether and how autonomous vehicles could be safely integrated onto New Jersey highways.

Last year, Alphabet’s self-driving unit Waymo announced they will begin manually testing its autonomous vehicles at Newark Liberty International Airport.